Indian Navy, NCB Seize Vessel Carrying Heroin Worth Rs 1200 Cr

On Friday, the Indian Navy intercepted a boat carrying 200 kg of heroin worth Rs 1,200 crore off the coast of Kochi. SK Singh, the Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) deputy director general of operations, said that six Iranian crew members were arrested under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

According to reports, the detained crew members were from Iran's Konarak region and the shipment was supplied by the Pakistan-based Hadi Salim network, which supplies heroin, charas and methamphetamine to India and other Indian Ocean countries.”

Singh stated that the consignment was initially carried by a Pakistani boat before being transferred to an Iranian boat mid-sea and that it was destined for Sri Lanka, with a portion of it destined for India.

Singh further said, "We have given the boat, the detainees and other incriminating materials for investigation, but so far no links to terrorists have been discovered, but three smartphones have been seized."

According to the top NCB officer, the seized heroin was found in 200 packets, each with markings and packing, unique to Afghanistan and Pakistan-based drug cartels.

Earlier, the NCB seized 60 kg of mephedrone worth more than Rs 120 crores from Mumbai and Gujarat and arrested six members of an inter-state drug cartel, including a former Air India pilot.